Returning after a year-long layoff at UFC 207, former bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey will take on Amanda Nunes. ‘The Lioness’ snatched the belt from Miesha Tate in the UFC 200 headliner, marking the third champion in a wild six-month period for the division. After Holly Holm spectacularly dethroned Rousey at UFC 193, she was in turn submitted by Miesha Tate at UFC 196. Following three years of being wrapped around the waist of Rousey, the belt had suddenly become up for grabs like never before.
Rousey sat dormant, shying away from media and the spotlight she’d become so accustomed to, and her fighting future was unsure. Having her invincible aura shattered by Holm in Melbourne had taken a huge toll on ‘Rowdy,’ and until the announcement of her return fans were kept completely in the dark. Facing a big and dangerous champion in Nunes on December 30, Rousey will attempt to again make history as the first ever two-time women’s bantamweight champion.
Mindset
After admitting she’d considered suicide during a period of dark depression, the impact of UFC 193 on Ronda Rousey is still in question. Two-time opponent and ex-champ Miesha Tate points this out during a recent interview with ESPN, as she makes her prediction for Nunes vs. Rousey in December:
“I think if Ronda is at her height, I would probably say Ronda [wins],” Tate said. “I always tend to favor grapplers. That’s just my bias. I think it’s more probable for a fight to go to the ground and get finished than it is for a clean knockout. That’s less common in women’s MMA.
“So, if you factor that in, I think Ronda is the stronger grappler.”
“X Factors”
“What’s so weird about this fight is all the X factors,” Tate said. “Amanda is a really tenacious fighter and I think she’s going to have a newfound confidence coming into this fight.
“I guess what I don’t know is how Ronda is going to show up. I’m pretty confident about what Amanda will show up, but Ronda — it has been such a long time. Ring rust can be a very real thing and how is she going to be as far as being punch-shy? She knows Amanda is heavy-handed and after being cracked by Holly, does that change the mindset of someone like Ronda who kind of believed, along with many others, she was untouchable?
“It’s hard to say who wins this because it kind of depends on what version of Ronda shows up.”
Tate vs. Pennington
Returning for the first time since her loss to Nunes at UFC 200, ‘Cupcake’ will take on Raquel Pennington on the main card of UFC 205. With Ronda Rousey recently stating she’d be wrapping up her career soon, is there time for a trilogy fight if Tate is victorious in New York?
As is usually the case with the women’s bantamweight division, absolutely anything is possible. Stay tuned.
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